The Actor Sawamura Kodenji I

Sawamura Kodenji I, an Edo kabuki actor of the late seventeenth century, is shown here in a single standing pose on a narrow hosoban sheet, his costume hand-colored with the orange tan and mustard yellow pigments characteristic of Kiyonobu's c. 1700 production. The robe falls in heavy diagonal folds that the artist accentuates with broad, swelling outlines, while the head turns slightly to suggest a moment of dramatic stillness within the role. Tan-e were among the most popular formats for actor prints of this generation: the orange-red pigment was inexpensive and bright enough to register from across a teahouse or shop interior, where these prints were displayed and discussed by theatre enthusiasts. The Art Institute of Chicago preserves this sheet as part of its extensive collection of Torii-school theatrical prints.